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#2094146 - 12/21/06 05:42 AM LOMAC/FC: Training Mission #05  
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BeachAV8R Offline
Lifer
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Today we are going to take a bit of an airmanship test. This late afternoon hop will offer up some miserable weather with low ceilings, rain, thunderstorms, and a good bit of winds (both surface and aloft) to add in a little challenge. A strong storm system is moving in off the Black Sea causing winds to whip in from the west. Our challenge today will be to fly in formation with our flight lead on a short cross country down the coast to Khersones (the site of my very first crash!). The objective is straightforward, maneuver to stay on the wing of the lead plane for the duration of the flight. The first couple legs of the mission will take us inland across Simferopol then back out to the coast to land at Khersones just southwest of Sevastopol.

The mission can be downloaded here: http://www.mudspike.com/lomac/simhq05.zip



After futzing around with the mission editor I’m still learning (and have a ton more to learn) but I did manage to get a 2-ship flight of Su-25Ts into a flight plan. I saw no way to make the human player anything other than the lead pilot however so I did a small workaround by leaving myself as the lead pilot then, once the mission started, moving over to the wingman to jump into his cockpit (ALT-J) leaving the AI to handle the flight lead task. CAUTION: Once you enter the mission and make the “jump” to the wingman the lead aircraft will takeoff immediately, so be ready! If someone can point me how to make myself something other than flight lead let me know. I suppose I could also alter the mission so that it started on the ramp so that after making the “jump” you would have plenty of time to taxi out with the AI lead.

I also find it odd that the wingman is assigned with an aircraft #01 while the lead is #02 (?). In any case, I’m stationed on the right side of the runway and after a second or two the lead aircraft bolts down the runway on the start of the mission. By the time my engines react to me shoving the throttle forward the spacing is actually pretty good for a staggered takeoff. Another note of caution: if you are ever flying in the “lead” position, make sure you stay on your side of the runway or the AI aircraft will get pushed out into the grass as he attempts to hold the lateral offset during takeoff. (What is that glow in my rear-view mirror? Oh - - my wingman in flames!)





The blustery winds buffet my aircraft around and require constant adjustment to the controls (thanks goodness for CH pedals!) and eventually I reach flying speed. I retract the gear, wait a bit for the speed to build then start retracting the flaps as I try to catch up to the flight lead. I purposely set the enroute speed for this mission at just a bit over 500 kph to allow for catching up if I ever got behind, but during the transition from the takeoff to the enroute phase there is plenty of time to get joined up with the flight leader. Remember, if you feel the leader is pulling away you can always use a little lead pursuit to cut some distance off the turns to gain a bit of ground on him. I won’t lie though: the challenge of joining up into formation with the Su-25T are pretty impressive. Judging closure and the fact that the –T doesn’t decelerate very quickly led to many (embarrassing) overshoots on my part.



With TrackIR I find I’m far less reliant on padlocking type schemes although they certainly still have their place. I searched for 10 minutes in my documentation but couldn’t find a way to padlock another aircraft unless I was in an air-to-air mode (something we’ll cover later) so you must (apparently) switch out of NAV mode to one of the AIR modes (keypress ‘2’ in the Su-25T) before you can padlock another aircraft (NUMPAD DEL). I’ve always really liked the way the LOMAC padlock works with the small, unobtrusive cross coupled with the mini-HUD to help maintain situational awareness.



Like I said though, with TrackIR I suspect I’ll be using less and less padlock and spending more time moving my head around. I’m already lost without TrackIR when I fire up the sim to do a test or something without putting my TIR hat on; it really does become an essential part of the sim once you get used to it. As the flight lead finishes the departure sequence he makes the turn enroute to the first waypoint. This relatively stable time was a great opportunity for me to move in closer and test what distances I was comfortable flying at. I can tell you it took all of my concentration and constant work on the stick and throttle to keep stationed next to the flight lead. The AI doesn’t fly quite as smoothly as you might expect another human player to fly and obviously you miss those verbal cues that you might otherwise get over the radio. So learn to watch the distance remaining to your next waypoint and anticipate that the flight leader will be making a turn and/or elevation change very near that point. Also keep in mind which way the lead will turn so that you don’t get smashed as he turns into you. I found keeping a distance of around 100 meters (a guesstimate) was good for allowing for some maneuvering without having to pay 100% attention to every nudge of the stick or throttle. Closer distances require ever tighter monitoring and very tiny corrections (I have a newfound respect for the LOMAC based Virtual Blue Angels and Virtual Thunderbirds!).



Soon enough we are screaming over Simferopol at a few hundred meters. This was the first flight I’ve flown since installing Archer’s sound modification pack and I love the new sound of the Su-25T and the breathing sounds inside the cockpit. Fantastic!



Cont…



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#2094147 - 12/21/06 05:42 AM Re: LOMAC/FC: Training Mission #05  
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BeachAV8R Offline
Lifer
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Lifer

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After passing Simferopol things get a bit busier as the pre-planned altitude drops down on the deck enroute to waypoints #4 and #5 following some power-lines and a railroad track. The AI lead, attempting to stick to the flight plan while avoiding terrain and obstacles, will bob up and down and it is a fun exercise of stick and throttle manipulation to keep up with him. After watching many shows on television that show the aggressive movements often necessary during maneuvering flight (particularly in non fly-by-wire aircraft) I felt for once I was getting a good feel for how exhausting this fighter pilot (well – attack pilot) stuff can be!







The leg between waypoint #5 and #6 features moderate terrain with long flats that don’t require much pitch maneuvering. This is a great section to come in close to the flight lead and test out your personal limits. My personal limits are still quite conservative with at least a plane width and length separating me from my flight lead.





Coming up on the final waypoint prior to the landing sequence I fall into trail behind the lead anticipating him entering the landing cycle.



Unfortunately this is where I screwed up the mission design by setting the cloud ceiling at 900 meters or so. The initial altitudes during the vectors to the approach “gate” are slightly above 1000 meters so my flight lead zoomed up into the overcast and I lost him. (I’ll fix this for the downloadable version of this mission!). Using the F10 map view I was able to keep track of him though and sort of spaced myself off of him in anticipation of joining him for the approach. (I added the yellow ILS feathers to the map to show the inbound course.) Keep in mind when looking at the map that only the flight lead is red colored (I made this mistake and it was quite disorienting). In this case I am actually the white icon instead of the red one.



Cont…



#2094148 - 12/21/06 05:42 AM Re: LOMAC/FC: Training Mission #05  
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BeachAV8R Offline
Lifer
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Most of the time I prefer not to use labels but this was once case where I had to turn them on to find where the lead was on the approach. I was hoping to catch up with him and do a formation landing (he has life insurance) but I ended up overshooting him (closure is tough to judge!) and was ahead of him for the rest of the approach and landing.





I was really struggling with the 90 degree crosswind coming in off the sea. I had set it to 10 m/s which is about 22 mph; a significant crosswind for almost any aircraft. Cross controlling actually works pretty well though (upwind wing down, opposite rudder) and I managed to “slip” my way back onto the centerline. By the way, no other sim has such great illumination effects with the landing lights; very atmospheric indeed.



After touching down I used the wheel brakes to slow below 200 before popping the drag chute. Instantly the speed started dropping off but at the same time the aircraft tried to weathervane around into the prevailing wind. I grimaced and stomped on full left rudder while still “flying” the ailerons in an attempt to arrest the slide and impending crash. I also panic released the chute which allowed the nosewheel steering to take effect and the airplane straightened out. What a wild ride!!





Unfortunately all of that skidding by the nose wheel must have taken its toll as I felt a “bump-bump-bump” as I continued to slow near the end of the runway. A look with the external view confirmed I had shredded the nose tire. Fortunately I was still able to steer and taxi as long as I kept the taxi speed extremely slow. After pulling off the runway I taxied onto the apron immediately adjacent to the taxiway and tested out a theory.



I had read today on the LOMAC.RU forums that you can actually get damage repaired by stopping at an airfield, turning off the engines and waiting for about 3 minutes. I shut off the engines (and electrical – I don’t know if that is required or not) opened my canopy and sat and waited. The damaged nose tire and the open tail-cone from where the braking chute releases:



After the advertised 3 or so minutes I saw the airframe do a little shudder and when I panned around outside I was all fixed up! Outstanding! Now, I don’t know how much damage can be fixed, or what the actual requirements are to cause it to happen but it can be done!



Cont…



#2094149 - 12/21/06 05:43 AM Re: LOMAC/FC: Training Mission #05  
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BeachAV8R Offline
Lifer
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I glanced at my fuel gauge and saw I hadn’t been refueled though (not that I needed it). I’m sure there was a command for that (rearm/refuel) but I couldn’t remember it at the moment. Subsequently I looked it up on the forums and you can indeed refuel on the ground (CTRL-R) and rearm (CTRL-W) but you have to first shut off the engines. With my damage repaired I restarted the engines and took off back to Saki.



Arriving back at the home base I had an uneventful landing (despite the rumors I am getting better at that!) and taxied over to the tower to join the post-flight party.



This was another fun “homemade” mission to fly. I’ve said it before and I’ll continue to say it: flying the Su-25T is outstanding fun and a challenge to boot. With the crosswinds thrown into the mix there is a very realistic feeling of having to fly the aircraft all the way to the end of the landing rollout; you can rest once the wheels hit the pavement. Formation flight with humans would probably be a fair bit easier (maybe!) and I’m looking forward to eventually getting some multi-player time under my belt.

Mission for download: http://www.mudspike.com/lomac/simhq05.zip

BeachAV8R



#2094150 - 12/21/06 09:17 AM Re: LOMAC/FC: Training Mission #05  
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Valter Offline
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Valter  Offline
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Valencia, Spain

This is just what a lockon noob needs.

Thanks!


Take care all, Valter
#2094151 - 12/21/06 10:27 AM Re: LOMAC/FC: Training Mission #05  
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tony draper Offline
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Indeed this is great stuff Captain Beach,one only got scrappy little four page guide rather than manual with my copy of lock on gold.

#2094152 - 12/21/06 11:47 AM Re: LOMAC/FC: Training Mission #05  
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159th_Viper Offline
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Quote:
Originally posted by tony draper:
Indeed this is great stuff Captain Beach,one only got scrappy little four page guide rather than manual with my copy of lock on gold.
Lock On Manual should be contained in your Eagle Dynamics/LockOn/Doc Folder - 3 manuals IIRC, together with other stuff, eg Key charts etc.


Airframe #36
159th Guards Aviation Regiment
"Airspeed, Altitude, or Brains; you always need at least two."
#2094153 - 12/21/06 12:25 PM Re: LOMAC/FC: Training Mission #05  
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joey45 Offline
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Can sum one please tell me what IIRC means as i have no idea what so ever.....


DCS:World Sqd - 159th G.A.R
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#2094154 - 12/21/06 12:35 PM Re: LOMAC/FC: Training Mission #05  
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159th_Viper Offline
Flyin' it like I Stole it......Always!
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If I Recall/Remember Correctly


Airframe #36
159th Guards Aviation Regiment
"Airspeed, Altitude, or Brains; you always need at least two."
#2094155 - 12/21/06 01:36 PM Re: LOMAC/FC: Training Mission #05  
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Thank you Mr Viper,now that I recal I did find that when I first loaded the prog ,trouble is do not have a functioning printer at the mo,and even after twenty years of computing I simply cannot take in information from reams of text on the puter screen,I like a printed sheet in front of me,spose I shall have to venture forth and buy a new printer.

#2094156 - 12/21/06 02:20 PM Re: LOMAC/FC: Training Mission #05  
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EricJ Offline
Me, just me.
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Unfortunately, selecting your wingnut and ALT + J is the only way to go non-lead on a flight. By default you are The Man, so that's how it goes. True it would be nice to flip around a bit, and actually be led, but such is the case that I don't fly with wingnuts anyways.


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#2094157 - 12/21/06 02:54 PM Re: LOMAC/FC: Training Mission #05  
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RSoro01 Offline
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Hi Beach,

Another great read. BTW, wonder what's going on in your mission. When I switch cockpits on a Takeoff/Runway mission--just tried it to doublecheck--the AI sits there until I start moving. Also, my aircraft remains #02 when I enter the new cockpit. Wonder what's different about your mission.

Rich

#2094158 - 12/21/06 03:07 PM Re: LOMAC/FC: Training Mission #05  
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Joe Offline
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Beach,

Didn't we discuss the non-use of the drag chute in a high crosswind landing back when you did mission #1? \:\)

#2094159 - 12/21/06 03:34 PM Re: LOMAC/FC: Training Mission #05  
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One question: I downloaded the mission and put it in a mission folder. When I try to open it, I get an error message. Does this mission need to go anywhere special or do I need to do anything special to it to get it to work?

#2094160 - 12/21/06 04:16 PM Re: LOMAC/FC: Training Mission #05  
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RSoro01 Offline
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Migkiller,

You may have gotten a corrupted download. You can put the mission anywhere. It doesn't matter except in the amount of navigating you have to do to find it. I downloaded and it opens fine.

BeachAV8R,

I downloaded the mission and I now know why your wingman is jackrabbiting. It's the wind. Without it, he just sits there. With it, he enters the mission saying that he's "rolling" and as soon as you switch cockpits, he takes off.

Rich

#2094161 - 12/21/06 06:12 PM Re: LOMAC/FC: Training Mission #05  
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BeachAV8R Offline
Lifer
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So does the mission work when you download it and try to fly it? I've had problems with a couple of the missions I've put up for some reason. Maybe I should stop .zipping them or something?

Rich - Yeah..the wind was howling in that mission..that is funny that the AI sees that and instantly decides it is "rolling"..I'm guessing there is some logic in there that sees the airspeed even though he's standing still or something?

Joe - Uh..lol..yeah..I think we did! I owe you a nose-wheel! :p

BeachAV8R



#2094162 - 12/21/06 06:14 PM Re: LOMAC/FC: Training Mission #05  
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BeachAV8R Offline
Lifer
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Lifer

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By the way...I'm one of the fortunate few that actually has printed manuals. I ordered the printed one from Digital Asprin (thanks Nic Cole..RIP) and I also ordered the printed Flaming Cliffs manual from GoGamer a few weeks ago (you can also order it from the LOMAC/Flaming Cliffs website). I can tell you..when learning a new sim there is nothing as good as having a book open on the desk in front of you.

BeachAV8R



#2094163 - 12/21/06 06:24 PM Re: LOMAC/FC: Training Mission #05  
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I bought the one from GoGamer also. What is the other manual you are talking about? I have the FC from GoGamer.


Life is tough. Life is tougher when you are stupid. - John Wayne
#2094164 - 12/21/06 06:56 PM Re: LOMAC/FC: Training Mission #05  
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Lifer
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Lifer

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Quote:
Originally posted by Destructis:
I bought the one from GoGamer also. What is the other manual you are talking about? I have the FC from GoGamer.
Ah..a couple years ago a fine guy named Nic Cole entered an agreement with Eagle Dynamics (or Ubi?) to manufacture a printed LOMAC "enhanced" manual. The result was nothing less than spectacular...a color, printed manual bound a nice leather case. Sadly Nic Cole died while on vacation (in Thailand?)..and production ceased (as far as I know)... If you ever run across one, they are a great resource...

BeachAV8R



#2094165 - 12/21/06 07:28 PM Re: LOMAC/FC: Training Mission #05  
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Quote:
Originally posted by BeachAV8R:
I owe you a nose-wheel!
Speaking of landing gear, I had both main gear jam on me during takeoff. I was flying the Flaming Cliffs Su25T campaign. No amount of cycling the gear lever would free the main gear. I tried outbound and inbound. Surprisingly the plane flew well with the extra drag on the airframe.



So I flew the mission, killed the primary targets and flew home. I dumped fuel before final so there's be less fire (hopefully).



400 kilos of fuel left and I line up the approach.



There were surprisingly few sparks and I really did a nice job of not slamming it down hard.


I deployed the chute just becuz I could.



Unbuckling my harness as I wait for the fire crews to roll up.



If it's worth doing, it's worth doing right.
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